Various compact packs, pouches, and bags have been devised and made available to aid hands-free transportation personal items on the body of a wearer. One such type of bag is commonly known as a “fanny pack” or “hip pack” and may be arranged to be comfortably secured with a strap around a user's waist. Many personal items carried in such packs are susceptible to water damage. This may be especially true of mobile electronic devices—such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, and even digital cameras—that have become ubiquitous. As technology relating to mobile electronic devices develops to enhance functionality in increasingly portable packages, users often opt to carry such devices on their person wherever they go. This can be convenient for many reasons. For instance, users may access their smartphone to make emergency phone calls, to access data networks allowing them to search for and reference maps, review or post to social media networks, and even capture and digitally share photos taken with built-in cameras from wherever they are. Other items commonly carried on a person, such as forms of identification, key fobs, and paper products including cash money, may be damaged upon contact with water as well.
Such convenience may be limited by the particular surroundings a user finds himself in, though. For instance, it may be desirable to bring a smartphone or even a digital camera on an outdoor hike. In the event of inclement weather, though, there is a risk that such device may become wet and damaged. As another example, a user might wish to bring his mobile electronic device near a body of water, such as a pool, lake, river, waterfall, and man-made fountain, among others. Maintaining the mobile device in his pocket or typical carrying bag or backpack may protect the device from some of the risk associated with incidental contact with water, such as humidity or misting. Still, there is a risk that the device may come into damaging contact with the water if it were to fall out of the pocket or typical carrying bag or backpack. If the bag or pocket were to become wet, moreover, the device could additionally become damaged. Even accidental exposure to water, such as spilling a drink on the device or typical bag or backpack, can be a problem especially if wet items, for example, a water bottle, is stored in the same space as the moisture sensitive belongings.
In light of these problems, some protective packs have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,636 to Angus et al. teaches a ventilated and moisture-wicking waist pack that creates evaporative channels to remove moisture absorbed through portions of the pack. This however, does not prevent moisture from entering portions of the pack, it merely enables escape of any collected moisture. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,561 to Kennedy discloses a layered, lightweight pouch for containing personal items during water sports. This proposal is deficient, however, because the first disclosed enclosure is not waterproof, so that any items maintained between the enclosure and waterproof inner pouch are at risk for water damage. Additionally, each of these proposed solutions fail to provide adequate sealing members to further prevent moisture from potentially entering the packs there through. That is, spaces remain in the proposed openings through which moisture may enter.
As still another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,445 to Miller discloses a protective pack to be worn at the belt of a wearer which is substantially rigid in construction. The rigid materials provided may protect belongings contained therein from water damage, however, the proposal is deficient because the rigid construction adds potentially inconvenient and discomforting bulk and weight to the pack itself.
Although various proposals have been made to solve the problem, none of those in existence combine the characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, there remains a need for a carrying pack for holding various belongings that maintains mobile electronic devices and other moisture-sensitive items in a dry environment.